Rant & Rave

Published 2:29 pm, Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Photo: Larry Busacca, Staff

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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Miley Cyrus attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV) less

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Miley Cyrus attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Larry ... more

Photo: Larry Busacca, Staff

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Miley Cyrus arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Miley Cyrus arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Photo: Evan Agostini, INVL

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Miley Cyrus Liquat praestie modolore magnis ea conummod

Miley Cyrus Liquat praestie modolore magnis ea conummod

Photo: Evan Agostini, INVL

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Ethan Hawke sits with Winona Ryder in a scene from the film 'Reality Bites', 1994. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)

Ethan Hawke sits with Winona Ryder in a scene from the film 'Reality Bites', 1994. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 20: Singer Lisa Marie Presley arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ABC) less

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 20: Singer Lisa Marie Presley arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ... more

Miley Cyrus was the overwhelming takeaway from this year's MTV Video Music Awards - for all the wrong reasons.

The former Disney starlet twerked, stuck out her tongue and grabbed her crotch as A–list colleagues (Rihanna, One Direction) watched with visible dismay. Our chron.com commenters were none too impressed over at our Tubular blog (blog.chron.com/tubular).

- "It was painful to watch, and then she ruined 'Blurred Lines,' too," ShannonMC said.

- "If she continues to market herself as 'meat on the hoof', she shouldn't be surprised someday to find herself on a butcher's table," TransAmer99 wrote.

- "Know what would shock me? Artistry. Anybody can strip down to their (underwear) and run around the stage with their tongue hanging out. Somebody wake me when a true artist comes along," Martin Brodyadded.

Despite the bad press, Cyrus' stunts are paying off. Two singles - "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" - have spent the past several days in the iTunes Top 5. ("We Can't Stop" is her biggest Billboard hit to date.) Her upcoming "Bangerz" album, due Oct. 8, has also enjoyed healthy presales.

Now that NBC is talking about bringing "Reality Bites" to television, we finally get another chance to see whatHelen Childress can do. The High School for Performing and Visual Arts grad, who grew up in Missouri City's Quail Valley, wrote the screenplay for the 1994 romantic comedy about a group of friends living in Houston.Ben Stillerdirected, and the two are teaming again on the script, which centers on Lelaina Pierce, a recent college grad who records the angst-ridden lives of her Gen X friends with her video camera.

When the film was released, Childress told the Chronicle's Louis B. Parksthat the experiences are "100 percent" those of herself and her friends. "I really didn't have anything else to work on. I put our attitudes and feelings into the script." She was 24 at the time.

- But Vince countered: "Whether this will be any good is up for debate, but if you're going to do it, this is actually a pretty good time to attempt this:

"Happy Days" - launched in the 1970s, setting in the 1950s

"The Wonder Years" - launched in the 1980s, setting in the 1960s

"That '70s Show" - launched in the 1990s, setting in the 1970s

- Melissa Ward Aguilar

Music of Lisa Marie

One hang-up with being Lisa Marie Presleywill be that familial connections - including a famous father, mother and ex-husband - will likely always trump notice for any musical accomplishments. But in the 10 years since releasing her debut album, Presley has issued two more, suggesting she's not just dabbling in music.

The latest is "Storm & Grace," which was produced by the great T Bone Burnett and released last year. And Presley is out on the road plugging the record. The tour will bring her to the Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., in The Woodlands on Sept. 15.

Tickets run $78-$98 (dinner included) at 281-367-3774 or doseydoe.com. And $218 gets you a VIP pass, which includes admission to Presley's sound check and an opportunity to take a photo with her.

On chron.com, Presley isn't getting many breaks. "She seems to be lacking the genuine entertainment value her dad had," January says. "She's just like Nancy Sinatra; has her father's name but not the talent," SammieJo agreed.

But JReynolds wishes her "nothing but happiness. She has, from birth, found herself in one exceptionally unique situation after another - no hand of cards like anyone else has ever been dealt."